As promised I’ve adapted our family potato salad to be healthier.

I was shocked when I found out how much sugar was in the original recipe. I cut out half the sugar and added golden raisins instead to compensate for the missing sweetness. My husband doubted it would work. I am happy to say he was very pleased with the results.

I also added petite green peas and celery. My end result looked a little more elegant than the original. I was thinking of a name for our new potato salad and I thought of Eloise (written by Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight), one of my favorite childhood characters. Our salad is definitely something Eloise would eat at The Plaza Hotel.

When I was a little girl, my father took me to the soda fountain that used to be in the Plaza for ice cream sundaes. When I grew up I used to go to the Palm Court for Brunch and the Plaza Oyster Bar for dinner. I think I went once to Trader Vic’s and only a couple of times to the Oak Bar.

Then when the Plaza closed for renovations I got to run around the whole building like Eloise. I went to the sub basements and saw the huge kitchens. I searched in vain for the imaginary pool that was fabled to be hiding somewhere below street level. I found a secret supply room at the back of the kitchen staff men’s locker room that was stuffed full of brand new muffin pans, Le creuset French onion soup dishes and terrine molds. A whole row of lockers had been put in front of the door. I pushed it aside, and found this treasure trove. The auctioneers were upstairs in the Grand Ballroom pricing everything from forks to maids uniforms. I was alas only one person and could not carry too much. But I went back 3 days in a row to explore the building which was literally empty except the auctioneers. Amazing!

So in my small way this recipe is a tribute to Eloise and the Plaza.

Enjoy!

Avec Amour, Victoria and Alexander

 

Eloise Potato Salad

Yield – 8 Servings

3 Tablespoons Sugar

1 Tablespoon Cornstarch

1/2 Cup Lowfat Milk

1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Egg

4 Tablespoons Butter

1 teaspoon Celery Seed

1/2 teaspoon Coleman’s Dry Mustard

3/4 teaspoon Salt

3/4 Cup Onions, small chopped

1/4 Cup Mayonnaise

2 1/2 – 3/4 Pounds Red Skinned Potatoes, about 7 medium or 20 small

4 Eggs, large hard boiled, chopped

2 Celery Stalks, diced

5 oz Frozen Petite Green Peas

1/2 Cup Golden Raisins

1. Slice potatoes into quarters

and boil in salted water until tender. Cool and slice into 1/3″ thick slices.

This step can be done a day or two ahead of time, just keep refrigerated.

2. In a medium saucepan stir together sugar and cornstarch,

add milk and whisk,

turn heat on medium, continue to whisk and add one at a time vinegar,

egg,

butter,

celery seed,

dry mustard,

salt. Whisk mixture until it comes to a simmer and thickens.

Remove from heat and stir in onions,

then mayonnaise.

This step can be done a day ahead and refrigerated. If not waiting stir warm mixture into potatoes and chill.

3. While chilling, bring a small pot of water with about 2″ of water to a boil, add frozen peas, return to boil, as soon as it comes back to a boil, turn off heat and drain and cool.

4. Rehyrdate the golden raisins by putting them into a microwavable container, covering with water and microwaving for 1 minute, drain.

5. Add peas, celery, chopped hard boiled eggs and raisins to salad,

stir, chill minimum 1 hour and serve.

If you have leftovers, this will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.